LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (September 19, 2018) – While summer is just barely in the rear-view mirror, many of our Vacationers are gearing up with great anticipation for their Thanksgiving and Christmas / New Years trips to the Happiest Place on Earth.
We are asked often about crowd levels. Not that long ago, we could consistently point them to historically slow periods like the weeks after labor day, right after New Years until mid-February, and so forth. That’s just not the case any ore. Disney has done a masterful job filling their parks (and resort hotels and villas) with all manner of special events from the fall Epcot Food & Wine Festival, Marathon Weekends in January, and so on.
At minimum, as you plan for crowds, it can be helpful to know how Disney itself classifies capacity levels at their theme parks. This is especially true if you plan to attend at times we all know will be busy, like Christmas and New Years (See the Photo for a shot of the Magic Kingdom crowd on a recent Christmas Week evening.)
On days like that, the parks actually do reach capacity, and visitors can find themselves turned away. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, be aware of the Disney’s four phases Disney invokes if they actually are nearing full capacity.
Here are their phases for the Magic Kingdom:
Phase 1 Park Closure
The following will be turned away at the parking lot booth:
- Holders a “Magic Your Way” ticket
- Holders of Non-Magic Kingdom one-day ticket
- Holders of Cast Member passes
- Vacationers who have not yet purchased any ticket
The attendants will have these guest turn-around and head the other way. You are able to drive to another Disney theme park to see if they will let you in, because those parks may not have hit capacity, yet.
Phase 2 Park Closure:
In addition to Phase 1, everyone is stopped from entering except the people in the list below. If the parking lots are full for anyone on the list below, that merely stops their car from entering and parking during this phase. Those people could park in another theme park lot and take transportation to the desired theme park during this phase as long as you fall under one of the following:
- Disney Resort guests
- Swan and Dolphin resort guests
- Annual Passholders
- Guests with Park Hopper tickets coming from another park
- Guests who are re-entering the park
- Guests who have dining reservations inside a park
- Guests who have reservations at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique/Pirates League
- Guests who pre-purchased one-day Magic Kingdom tickets
- Guests who have used Walt Disney World Transportation from their resort and guests riding on a bus from Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels by Disney Springs
Phase 3 Park Closure:
At this point, only the following are allowed in the park.
- Disney resort guests
- Annual Passholders
- Guests with dining reservations (proof of reservation required to enter)
- Guests with reservations for Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique/Pirates League
Phase 4 Park Closure:
The Park is now closed to all guests until a significant number of people leave the Park.
But remember, just because a park is closed, does not mean the other three parks are closed. It’s important to be flexible during the busy times knowing you could be turned away.
The Magic Kingdom tends to fill up first. If you can’t get into the Magic Kingdom first thing in the morning, plan on going to one of the other parks.
Christmas Week through New Year’s Day and periods around Easter tend to be the days with the highest probability of hitting capacity. On New Year’s Eve in 2014, for instance, the Magic Kingdom was in Phase 2 by 9:40 am. Shortly after 11 am, the Magic Kingdom was in Phase 3. It wasn’t long before they were in Phase 4 for several hours.
It is clear that your best bet if you are visiting during a peak period is to take advantage of the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort hotel or Disney Vacation Club Villa. This make it especially important to remember, when planning for your next Disney Vacation, Griswold’s Magical Memoriesoffers the lowest prices available on rental of Deluxe Disney Vacation Club Villas at savings that are often more than 50% less than booking directly through Disney Central Reservations. Take a look at examples of actual savings our Vacationers have enjoyed, and then submit your Free, No Obligation Reservation Request Form today!
